You Shall Not Steal — Exodus 20:15
“You shall not steal”
— Exodus 20:15, NIV
This commandment teaches that respecting what belongs to others is part of loving God and loving our neighbor.
Many people know this verse in its older wording: “Thou shalt not steal.” It is one of the Ten Commandments. It protects people’s belongings, and it protects the trust that holds families, workplaces and communities together.
Stealing is not only breaking into a house or taking from a shop. It can be quieter: padding an expense claim, doing private business on work time, keeping extra change, or borrowing something and never giving it back. Small thefts are like termites in a wooden house. Unnoticed at first, they slowly eat away at what holds everything up.
Notice that the verse does not say, “Do not get caught.” It simply says, “You shall not steal.” God sees what others do not, and honesty in small things shapes who we become.
Underneath much stealing is a quiet fear that we will not have enough. David could say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” A heart that trusts its Shepherd has less reason to grab what is not its own.
When we trust in the Lord with all our heart, we can work honestly and leave the outcome to Him. Paul wrote that anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, “that they may have something to share with those in need” (Ephesians 4:28). The goal is not only to stop taking, but to start giving.
Zacchaeus shows what that change looks like. After meeting Jesus, he promised to pay back four times what he had cheated anyone out of (Luke 19:8). If you have taken something, it is never too late to make it right.
Today, think of anything you have kept that is not yours, even something small. Return it, repay it or confess it, and thank God for the freedom that honesty brings.
Lord, You give me all I need. Keep my hands honest and my heart content, and make me generous with what You have given me. Amen.
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